Devils above the Penguins is bold.

NYR
CAR
NYI
WSH
PIT
PHI
NJD
CBJ

I just don’t think the rangers are there yet, and i can’t buy Pittsburgh falling off that quick.

You have NYR first???? Why?

They have the players to do it and Gallant is always able to get the best out of his players.

So what’s the difference between 20-21 rangers and 21-22 that take them from a playoff DNQ to a division winner? Who are these players to do it?

They just get a little older. Laf is no longer a rookie, Kakko is a little older, Zibanejad had time to recover, Panarin won't be away from the team this year (hopefully), they're not in a COVID environment anymore, and they have one of the best coaches in the league now. Shesterkin and Georgiev is a fantastic tandem, and they have a potential murderers row of goal scorers.

I couldn't decide between the two, so I decided to go bold

Fair enough. I have issues betting against Sidney Crosby though

Murderers row of goal scorers? Like who? Zibanejad is an awesome goal scorer. Panarin is good too. Beyond that? Kinda not much.

Division leaders

1. Hurricanes
2. Flyers
3. Islanders


Fighting for the Wild Card Spot

1. Rangers
2. Devils
3. Capitals


Bottom Feeders

1. Penguins --- Missing the playoffs for the first time since 2006, resulting in the dismissal of Mike Sullivan and a crisis over whether a rebuild is needed.
2. Blue Jackets

Zibanejad, Panarin, Lafreniere, Kakko, Fox, even Strome has proven he can put the puck in the net as a Ranger. They have the attack to do it.

NYI
Washington
Pittsburgh
Carolina
----
NYR
Philly
New Jersey
Columbus

So the two guys i named, a sophomore that kind of struggled last year scoring a whopping 12 goals, a third year guy that has REALLY struggled offensively that managed a thunderous nine goals last year, the very good d man that scored five (5) goals last season, and last but not least, the center that plays with panarin that’s still never scored 20.

That’s not a murderers row. That’s not even good. That’s awful.

Islanders
Canes
Philly
Pittsburgh
Washington
Rangers
Devils
Jackets

CAR: As long as Andersen/Raanta stay healthy and play at least decently, they have the horses, the depth, and the high level defense. Class of the division.
NYI: 2-7 are in the same tier... Best 1-2 goalie tandem in hockey with Sorokin and Varlamov, top shutdown pair with Pulock and Pelech... I just can't see them missing the playoffs.
WSH: Big strong team counters the rest of the division pretty well, and Samsonov/Vanecek is not bad
NYR: Young team that could go nuts or could stall out. I'm leaning towards the latter but there's a LOT of talent here.
NJD: If they didn't get Bernier, I would have predicted the "champions of the offseason" to finish 7th. Give them another year to get Holtz up to speed and really see Jack Hughes' power
PIT: Not a big fan of Jarry/DeSmith as a tandem, but everything in front of them is still at least decent.
PHI: Not as confident of a Carter hart revival as everyone else seems to be. Someone has to finish 7th
CBJ: #FreeLaine I watched his incredible first 2 years in Winnipeg where he looked every bit of "generational talent", then didn't watch the next couple of years, then last year saw him being utterly broken in Columbus. I don't even care how the team does, I just want to see Laine play like he did when he was 19

A sophmore who was a 1st overall pick and recorded those goals in a SHORTENED season. Don't forget that when spewing numbers out there buddy. You're also talking about a Norris trophy winner, one of the best wingers in hockey, a center who (when healthy) can destroy franchises (ask a Flyers fan). Then there's still guys like Chytil, Blais (who's knew and could do anything in a new team) Strome (who was on pace to break 20 last year over 82) who can all score. There's also players like Trouba who can sling the puck around. They have a very talented offensive unit. Plus, all it takes is one step for Kakko and you're eating sh*t and they now have a coach who's known for getting the best out of his players.

Notice….I’m not commenting on how good or bad these players are. You said a murderers row of goal scorers. That’s just not a thing. Fox is awesome. Five goals. Who cares where lafreniere was drafted? He’s an NHLer now. But kudos to him for finishing tied for 134th in the NHL in goal scoring.

Trouba had two goals last season. He hasn’t cracked double digits since his rookie season.

We weren’t talking about potential, offensive talent blah blah blah. You said a murderers row of goal scoring. It’s not there. They have two good goal scorers. Bleh.

They have four good goal scorers and one of the best wingers in the NHL. Add into that a single step forward from Chytil, Kakko, ANYONE and they'll be fine. They also have MAJORLY improved behind the bench which is something you seem to be avoiding. Gallant always gets the best out of his players, he made William Karlsson a 40 goal scorer.

I agree they could be fine. There’s a pretty big margin between fine and murderers row.

Coaches don’t make players score 40, the players do.

They already have a very dangerous attack. They'll be a lineup of murders.

Players can't develop without their coaches. Why didn't Karlsson throw up 40 goals before or after Gallant worked with him?

Tough to say how this division will go, not sold on the Flyers though.

He shot 23.4% for a year.

Again, we were talking goal scorers. They have two guys that could fit your description. You listed a bunch of guys that have struggled to put the puck in the net.

We're talking about goal scorers. You're talking about ELITE talents. No team has what you're trying to make out. They have the depth to rival any team. They have a lineup that could quite easily boast 125 goals off the top six alone. That's better than a LOT of teams, especially in the Metro. And they have something the Islanders, Canes, Flyers etc do not. STABLE goaltending. They have guys to put the puck in and keep the puck out. That's why I picked them to win the division. If you continue to be obtuse, I will not continue this discussion. Have fun friend

I don’t see what’s obtuse about this. You said they had a murderers row of goaltenders and rattled off a guy that has 19 goals in 114 games, and a guy that has 13 goals in 125 games. Trying to change the discussion a few times is far more obtuse than me just pointing out that the murderers row doesn’t exist.

No... I said they have a murders row of goalscorers. As in, they have a 19 year old who's set to explode since he was one of the best prospects we've seen in a while in Laf. They have a 20 year old in Kakko who is still yet to play a normal season. They have a load of young guys who still are developing under a coach that loves to coach offense in Gallant. They have one of the worlds best wingers and one of the league's premier centers. They have fantastic depth scorers. They have the offense to do it, stop being so pedantic. And, if you read, I said they have a POTENTIAL murderers row, so stop being obtuse.